Always in Motion
by Lady Dawson
Summary: One choice . . . that was all it took, to stay or go. When the Ghost crew chose not to go for the young Force-sensitive that they had plucked from the streets of Lothal, he was sentenced to a fate worse than death. But the Force had other ideas in mind . . . and in the end, was Ezra Bridger's destiny always to be a Jedi?
1. Not Alone

**Always in Motion**

by Lady Dawson

Chapter One: Not Alone

Pain . . . that was the only thing that he could think about as he stared blankly at the wall opposite of the cot that he was lying on; grey, like the rest of the cell and just like the rest of the Imperial Star Destroyer, without a speck that was the wrong hue. Everything was the exact shade that it was supposed to be, without even a trace of color or warmth, Ezra Bridger thought as he curled up onto himself on the hard cot.

He had alternated between plotting escape plans and staring in despair at the cell door, afraid that the torture droid was just gonna come back.

They'd caught him after his first escape attempt, when he'd tricked those idiot bucketheads into letting him out of his cell, and he'd managed to make it all the way to the hanger before they recaptured him, stunning him. When he woke, he was back in his cell and all of his stuff was gone again, though this time they had found that box thing that he'd stolen from Kanan—and whatever that thing was, Agent Kallus knew exactly what it was.

That's when they had turned to torturing the information out of him, trying to "extract" anything they could about Kanan and the others; Ezra had tried to explain, again, to the guy that he didn't know anything. But it hadn't mattered to the agent and it hadn't stopped them from inflicting pain onto him, especially after they found out who his parents were.

Suppressing a shiver in remembrance, Ezra wondered how long had passed since they last came and when they were due to come back.

Hopefully, without the torture droid, though he doubted that.

Closing his eyes briefly, his eyes snapped open as something tickled the back of his mind and he sat up quickly, looking wildly around at his surroundings, but of course, there was nothing else in the cell except for him. But he was sure that he had . . . _felt_ something, something that he had felt before, back on Lothal, right when he first met Kanan and the others.

Ezra frowned in puzzlement; no, that wasn't quite right. Yes, it was similar but it also _felt_ different, though he couldn't put into words why it felt that way. Whatever it was that he was . . . sensing, for lack of a better word, it wasn't the same.

Slowly, he slid his legs over the cot, dropping them down onto the hard concrete floor, tremors running through him as he walked over to the steps leading up to the cell door. He had no expectations that Kanan and the others would come rescue him; even if they hadn't left him here, after he risked his life to save them, he knew that he couldn't trust anyone. Eight years on the streets taught him that; he had just forgotten that for a moment, until they proved that they were exactly like everyone else.

But it wasn't them; he didn't know what it was—or who it was—but it most definitely wasn't them.

Flinching as he felt something probe his mind, Ezra instinctively pushed against whatever it was, catching a flicker of surprise from whomever it was doing it. He didn't know _how_ they were doing it, but they definitely sensed him.

Taking a deep breath, he wished that he had his slingshot—or even better, a blaster—anything that could be helpful in defending himself, but they had made sure that he was unarmed when he was _first_ put here, never mind after his escape attempt . . .

They wouldn't even have any silverware when they fed him at random hours—and that was when they remembered to feed him at all.

So he was left with nothing but his bare hands to defend himself, which really wasn't much; the torture droid had left him exhausted and weary and it was taking everything that he had just to stay upright, but he wasn't going down without a fight, he thought savagely. He'd survived on his own, in the streets, for eight years, without anyone to depend on; he could take care of himself.

Hiding underneath the stairs—it had worked well enough before, to trick those bucketheads into letting him escape—Ezra waited for whoever it was to come looking for him, his heart beating rapidly in his chest with every breath he took, trying to ignoring the pain coursing through him.

And come they did.

It didn't take five minutes before the cell door opened and Ezra felt the same presence that he'd felt before step inside—no, not one person but _two_ , he thought, chancing a quick glance. One of them was a stormtrooper and the other . . . well, he couldn't quite see that person very well; they were hidden behind the bucket.

Ducking his head again, he hoped that he might be able to avoid being seen and maybe, just _maybe_ , he could chance an escape again.

What he wasn't expecting was the sudden grunt of surprise and then the sound of someone falling met his ears.

Ezra poked his head out just in time to see the buckethead tumble to the bottom of the stairs, his helmet askew, before his head snapped to look instead at the girl standing at the top of the stairs, a few years older than he was eighteen at most.

Ezra's first impression was that she was someone of great power; a princess, maybe. She drew power around her like a cloak and there was something of intimidation in her ice-blue eyes. But then, she wore clothes that were more akin to a pirate or a smuggler than of royalty. And her sunshine blonde hair hung freely around her, not like some of the extravagant hairstyles he'd seen on Imperials. And the way she held herself was that of a survivor, someone who had gone through a lot in a short amount of time . . .

She walked into the cell, her gaze lingering on the fallen stormtrooper as though reassuring herself that he was indeed unconscious before she turned her gaze to the rest of the cell, almost as though she were searching for him, and he held his breath as she completed her journey down the stairs, turning to look directly at her.

"There you are." She sounded relieved, which didn't make sense to Ezra but she smiled at him. "I was starting to think that they'd dragged you off somewhere or I'd gotten the wrong cell—or worse, the wrong ship." She paused, tilting her head towards him. "Are you gonna come out of there or you just gonna sit there?"

Slowly, Ezra crawled out from behind the stairs, using them to balance himself, his electric blue eyes clashing with her ice-blue ones.

"What do you want?"

She blinked, clearly surprised by his tone, and her smile faded slightly. "Well, there's a number of things I'd like, none of which are really possible anymore," she admitted, "but I'd settle for getting out of here, wouldn't you?"

Ezra stared at her, nonplussed.

"Kid," she said with aggravated patience, "do you want to get out of here or not? Because I did come a long way just to rescue you, but if you'd rather stay . . ."

"No!" he said without even thinking about it, because really, who would _want_ to stay inside of an Imperial prison cell? At least, who would want to that was in their right mind?

No one he could think of.

This seemed to satisfy her as she nodded as though she had expected this.

"All right, then," she told him, gesturing to the open cell door. "Then what do you say we get out of here before anyone figures out I'm here and then someone will have to rescue _both_ of us?"

She had no sooner said anything than alarms blared from outside the cell and Ezra started, looking around.

"Of course, they may have already figured it out," she continued dryly, looking worried momentarily but there was no time for her to say anything because the cell door had started to move slowly downward, to seal them both back in.

But she just threw out her hands out, ice-blue eyes narrowing in concentration, and as Ezra watched in astonishment, the door stopped moving.

He gaped at her. "How are you _doing_ that?"

"No time," she replied, throwing him a brief look. "Here, take my blaster and go; I'm right behind you."

Ezra threw her a quick look, not expecting that, but he hesitated only for a second before grabbing her indicated blaster—noticing a long cylinder hanging from her belt next to it—and did as he was told.

She waited until he was out the cell door before she raced up the stairs and threw herself through them just before it closed.

"That was close," Ezra observed.

"That was the easy part," she replied, tossing her blonde hair off of her shoulder before surveying him. "Sure you're up for this, kid? Because I can only promise you one thing: it's gonna be a hell of a fight getting out of here. And I can't guarantee that we will."

He swallowed, throwing a glance down the empty corridor that would most definitely not remain empty for long.

"A chance is better than no chance, right?" he said quietly.

She smiled faintly, clapping her hand onto his shoulder and instinctively, he flinched away in remembered pain, and she dropped her hand away.

Briefly, he glanced at her and she was just looking at him, something of understanding flashing behind her eyes, but she said nothing, just let him decide.

Taking a deep breath and gripping the blaster tightly, he said grimly, "Let's do this."

Though she looked at him with something of concern, the girl nodded before tilting her head to the blaster.

"You know how to use one? Because we don't have time for a lesson . . ."

"I know how to shoot, yeah," he said, gripping it tightly. Really, it felt good to have a blaster in his hands. "Anyway, I shoot better than those bucketheads do."

She laughed, mirth filling her eyes.

"You'd be surprised how well they shoot when you _need_ them to shoot badly," she told him with a grin. "You got a name, kid?"

"Ezra . . . Ezra Bridger."

With a nod, she replied, "I'm Cassie Windchaser."

If he wanted to say something else, he didn't get the chance because blaster fire suddenly was shot near his ear—or where his ear would have been had he not sensed something coming and moved out of the way just in time.

Cassie glanced at him quickly, then redirected her attention back to the stormtroopers and, moving faster than he thought possible, took both of them down before he even had a chance to blink, snatching up one of their blasters.

"Let's go, kid!" she called, seeing he hadn't moved.

Yanking himself out of his trance, Ezra ran after her, struggling to keep up as Cassie raced through the corridors, determined to get off of the Destroyer as soon as possible.

For a moment, his mind flashed to what had happened last time he was escaping Imperials with someone.

Afraid he would get left behind again—or more accurately, afraid of what they might to him when that happened—Ezra tried to catch up with her, but Cassie had already slowed down, having seen that he was having trouble keeping up, and waited for him catch up before rounding the next corner.

After that, she kept a slower but steady pace.

"Thanks," he gasped.

"Don't worry about it; we should probably get you check out when we get back to my ship."

"Where is it? On the hanger?"

"No, but that's where we're going; I snuck onto one of the shuttles in order to get on this ship and that's how we're gonna get off. Difference is, this time we're gonna have to steal one," she said with a slight grin.

Ezra stared at her, thoroughly convinced that she was out of her mind, but he ducked his head to avoid being hit by blaster fire before he could form any sort of protest, firing back. His aim was fairly accurate, but Cassie was having trouble with the one she'd snagged. It was probably heavier than she was used to and it wasn't like they were good to begin with.

But they were still managing to fight their way through the Destroyer; bucketheads appeared almost around every corner, but Cassie was quicker than them, taking them down even if the blaster didn't help.

And she seemed to know when they were coming, because she would throw out her hand to stop Ezra before moving forward to engage.

"Kid, you holding up okay?"

Ezra hadn't noticed that he was swaying slightly until she reached out to steady him, but he forced himself to stay upright, nodding at her.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

She frowned doubtfully. "You sure you can make it?"

"I can make it."

"And if we have to run?"

He opened his mouth, then closed it, suddenly not so sure; the torture droid had taken a lot out of him and he'd used up whatever strength he had left just to make it here. Pain felt like it were pressing down on him and he sank against the wall, realizing that he might not make it out of here after all.

Stupid . . . he never should have gotten his hopes up.

He looked up as Cassie knelt down to his level, looking at him squarely in the eye, electric blue meeting ice-blue.

"Ezra, listen to me, okay? No matter _what_ happens, I am not going to leave you in this place; I did a lot to break in here and there's no way that I'm gonna leave you behind, got it?" He stared at her uncomprehendingly. "We're getting out of here, even if I have to carry you."

Despite everything that he knew, everything that he had believed up until this point, Ezra believed her. Sincerity ran through her eyes and for the first time, he actually believed that they would make it out of here and even if they didn't, he wouldn't be alone.

"I can make it," he promised, allowing her to help him stand upright again. He _had_ to make it; otherwise they'd both be trapped in this place.

She regarded him critically, and then smiled.

"Yes, you can," she agreed, unclipping the cylinder that had been hanging on her belt up until that point. "So what do you say we given those 'bucketheads,' as you called them, a fight they'll remember?"

"Sounds good to me."

Satisfied, she glanced around the corner and Ezra peeked around her, seeing the hanger beyond them; they had almost made it.

"Just about," she agreed without looking at him, scanning the area, "and we're gonna take that shuttle there." She pointed to the one in question before turning to him. "Ezra, I want you to promise me something; you get to that shuttle. Don't worry about me; I'll be right behind you, but you get to that shuttle and you prep it for departure. Set in coordinates for whatever system you can think of; you know how to do that?"

"Yeah . . . I mean, I did it once . . ."

"Good enough; we just need to get away from here, it doesn't really matter where, so long as it's not in the middle of a star. We can change course once we're out of here, got it?"

"Got it," he agreed. "Here, you might need this." He tried handing her the blaster back, but she just shook her head.

"Keep it on you," she advised. "I've got this."

He frowned at the cylinder, wondering how that was going to help them, but his mind flashed to a similar one he'd found in Kanan's chambers and something of wonder flashed through his mind.

Before he could ask, though, she said, "Are you ready? On three . . . one . . . two . . . three, go!"

Ezra ran for the shuttle with Cassie pushing him ahead of her, both of them racing for the shuttle, and suddenly there was blaster fire everywhere as bucketheads were everywhere and he could barely move without being hit.

A cry left his lips as he felt blaster fire hit his side and he would have crumpled had Cassie not grabbed him, shielding with her own body, and then he heard a hiss, looking up to see a blue blade in her hand, coming from the cylinder.

She held it high, letting the Imperials see, and all of a sudden, blaster fire stopped and Ezra, gritting his teeth as he gripped the wound, saw that they were all staring at her, then at each other and back again, like they weren't sure what they were supposed to do.

Taking advantage of their distraction, Cassie pushed him to the shuttle. "Run, Ezra!" she shouted at him. "Go! Get the ship ready for takeoff!"

Running like his life depended on it—because really, it did—Ezra ran up the ramp and into the shuttle, not pausing until he had reached the pilot's seat.

"Navigation . . . navigation . . ."

He found the star chart, but it had been _years_ since he'd set in coordinates and last time, the TIE fighter had been mostly smashed up and he was just curious as to how it had worked. But he had to do this, he thought, looking up to see Cassie deflecting blaster fire as the troopers—having finally been yanked out of their daze—shot at them. If he didn't do this, then they would be recaptured—or worse.

Forcing down the panic, he finally managed to program coordinates into the shuttle, starting the shuttle's departure.

Or at least, he _almost_ did but a sudden blast knocked him sideways out of the seat and he screamed, suddenly on the floor with fire erupting throughout his body.

 _"Deep breaths, Ezra; just breathe. Pain can be controlled; don't think about it. Just breathe and focus on the task at hand, Padawan."_

Ezra blinked as he heard Cassie talking to him, but that didn't make any sense; she was outside the shuttle, fighting the troopers.

Shaking his head, certain that he had imagined it, Ezra crawled back to the pilot's seat, hauling himself up into it, and returned to what he was doing, not stopping until the shuttle had started rising into the air.

Outside, Cassie saw him and changed direction, running instead at the ship, somersaulting at the last second to land inside of the shuttle.

"Good job," she said, "but you'd better let me fly."

That sounded like a great idea to Ezra and he staggered out of the pilot's chair, slumping instead into the co-pilot's so she could take over, watching as she took hold of the controls, flying out of the hanger, avoiding the troopers by flying so low that they dived out of the way to avoid being hit.

"You're crazy!" he exclaimed and she laughed at him, a glint in her eyes as she flew even lower. "This isn't flying; this is suicide!"

"You _want_ me to slow down?"

"Are you kidding?" he asked with a grin. "I love it!"

Cassie laughed as she took another swing at the troopers and then, suddenly, for the second time in his life, Ezra was in space.

"Coordinates are locked . . . Lothal?" she asked, with a raised eyebrow as she looked over at him.

Ezra shrugged. "They were the only coordinates I knew offhand," he said by way of explanation.

"Works for me; we'll worry about picking the ship up later," she said, navigating her way around the Destroyer, avoiding the fire that way aimed at them as she flew over the starship, punching something on the controls.

And then the stars turned into a blur as the Destroyer disappeared behind them.

* * *

AN: And here we are with my first Star Wars Rebels story! I hope you enjoyed the opening act and am looking forward to any and all reviews (seriously, though, guys, I need to know if people are reading any of my new stories, otherwise they might get the dreaded delete button). I have chapter two done, just needs refining and chapter three is on the way. But only if you guys are good and review!

Lady Dawson


	2. Back to Lothal

**Always in Motion**

by Lady Dawson

Chapter Two: Back to Lothal

As soon as the shuttle made the jump to hyperspace, leaving the Destroyer behind them to lick its wounds, Cassie Windchaser allowed her a small moment of relief. Despite how dangerous and reckless the mission had been, no matter how _crazy_ it had seemed, somehow they had made it.

Even with all of the cards stacked against them, the odds that _weren't_ in their favor, somehow they had survived.

Exhaling slowly, Cassie turned to look at the kid that was sagging against the copilot's seat; his breathing was erratic as he stared wide-eyed in front of him, like he couldn't believe that this was actually happening, that he had escaped that cell and was out of Imperial hands.

Standing, she made her way through the shuttle, heading to where she knew they kept emergency supplies—this wasn't her first time stealing a shuttle—rooting through them to find anything that could elevate the agony he was in.

Cassie bit down the rage she felt, that had been surging through her ever since she first laid eyes on him, ever since she saw the needle marks that she recognized from torture droids and all the burns and bruises that accompanied them. Every inch of her wanted to find the Imperials that did that to him and she would have happily driven her lightsaber through them and not felt an ounce of guilt.

But had she done that, she never would have been able to get either of them off that Destroyer and the kid needed help more than he needed revenge.

"Won't they be tracking us?" Ezra had followed her to the back of the ship, though he was using the seats to balance himself, one hand curled around his side, as though it pained him, and was looking at her with wide electric blue eyes. "I mean, won't they have trackers on their shuttles?"

"Probably," Cassie allowed, finally finding the supplies and searching through them for what she needed, "but once we get some distance, we're gonna blow this thing to smithereens, then head for the nearest spaceport and find a way to get to Naboo, where my ship is. Shame we couldn't have blown up that Destroyer," she said dreamily, "but you work with the cards that you've been dealt. You should sit down," she added pointedly, "you're in enough pain without causing yourself more."

"I'm fine," he insisted and straightened up as thought to prove his point, though he still kept his arm curled around his side. "See, standing up and everything."

"Uh-huh . . . and how long are you gonna be able to keep standing up like that?" Cassie asked shrewdly, glancing at him with raised eyebrows. He hesitated, trying to decide. "That's what I thought. Take a seat, let me find some the medpac, and then maybe we can get you fixed up a little bit—at least until we can find a decent doctor or something. Aha!" she exclaimed, producing the medpac. "Here we go!"

She walked back to Ezra, who had sank into one of the chairs—though probably more out of exhaustion than actually wanting to listen to her—and sat down next to him, opening it up and looting through it.

"Why did you help me?"

Startled, she turned to look at Ezra, electric blue eyes suddenly dark as they focused on her, and she slowly closed the medpac.

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"Yes, you do," he argued, his breath quavering ever so slightly and she could almost see a flicker of tears in his eyes. "Why did you even bother coming onto that ship? Why did you come looking for me? Because people don't do that; they're only out for themselves, just do whatever they need to survive."

"Well, I'm not most people," Cassie told him, "and sometimes you don't need a reason to help someone."

Reopening the medpac, she found some burn cream and bacta, pulling it out so she could apply it to his injuries. Ezra drew back, wrapping his arms around himself as he huddled in the corner, away from her.

Cassie felt her heart grip at the sight, at the protective way he held himself; she'd been afraid of this, of the damage that had been done to him. But it wasn't irreversible; she could still help him, she thought as she held his gaze.

"I'm not gonna hurt you, kid."

"Everybody always does; they just hurt each other."

"Not always," she replied gently, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear as she surveyed him. "And if I was gonna hurt you, I could have done it already, couldn't I?"

"Maybe you've got some hidden agenda up your sleeve," he retorted, sticking his jaw out stubbornly.

Cassie laughed; she was sure she surprised him by her response, but she just smiled at him. "Maybe," she acknowledged, "or maybe not. Maybe you just have to take a leap of faith and hope that somehow, it all works out."

Electric blue eyes surveyed and with great reluctance, he unwound himself from the rigid position he'd been in, allowing her to get closer. Cassie felt a wave of relief rush through her as she began applying the bacta.

"Does your head hurt?" she asked, noticing that he kept leaning his head against the wall like it was paining him. He nodded but stopped with a wince. "You might have a concussion . . . here, let me see; where does it hurt?" she asked and he pointed. With infinite gentleness, she brushed her fingers against the spot and immediately, Ezra flinched away. "I'm sorry . . . definitely a concussion," she assessed before moving on to the rest of his injuries, which were considerable.

But she talked him through the whole thing, figuring that he might relax if he knew what she was doing.

Well, maybe not relax, but at least be a mite calmer.

Once she had done the best she could with limited medical supplies—and even more limited medical expertise—Cassie told him, "All right, I think you'll be okay, but we should get that checked on once we get to Lothal." Though where, exactly, on Lothal they would find a doctor not in the Empire's pocket, she had no idea. "Are you hungry? There's some rations in here; I can't promise for the taste, but they should last until we land. When was the last time you ate?" Somehow, she didn't think Imperials fed their prisoners very much, if at all.

"I don't remember," Ezra said, curling up into himself, "but I'm not hungry." Cassie eyed him, doubting it, and he caught her gaze. "Really, I'm not. I . . . I don't think I could keep anything down," he mumbled and Cassie believed him. Between the injuries and the concussion, he probably _couldn't_. "I just want to sleep . . . please?"

Reluctant though she was to let him sleep without someone taking a look at the concussion, Cassie caved under the pleading look he gave her.

"All right," she surrendered, "you can sleep, but I'm gonna wake you up every hour just to make sure you _can_ wake up. As long as you can, then you can go right back to sleep. Sound okay?"

"Yeah, sure . . . whatever," Ezra mumbled, clearly more interested in sleep than he was about a potential life-threatening injury.

"All right then." Cassie glanced briefly at the cockpit, eyeing the comm. "Go ahead and get some sleep; I'm gonna work on getting a secure channel, see about contact a friend of mine—not to mention your parents," she added, "I'm sure they're worried about you."

Even as she spoke, she saw how his entire body stiffened at the mention of parents, so she really wasn't surprised when he wrapped his arms around his knees and, looking anywhere but at her, said quietly, "I don't have parents."

Cassie inhaled slowly; she supposed she should have considered that. If there had been _anyone_ looking for him, then she wouldn't have had such a hard time finding him; if there were anyone else, then there would have been a much easier trail to follow.

But he had no one—and probably hadn't for a long time.

"Me either," she confessed. Ezra turned to look at her, surprised. "I lost mine to the Empire, about fifteen years ago; what happened to yours?"

He hesitated, and then admitted, "Imperials took them away, about eight years ago."

She smiled faintly at him. "Never gets any easier, does it?" she asked, brushing her blonde hair out of her eyes. "That's always the worst part; the not knowing what happened and knowing that you might not ever find out."

"I know what happened," Ezra said quietly. "They're dead."

Cassie regarded his expression carefully; judging from the way he looked down as he said the words, it was more likely that that's what he _needed_ to believe, because it was far easier to believe than to deal with the other scenario. Dead was easier than imprisoned, because that was something he _could_ deal with; imprisoned, especially in an Imperial prison, was almost impossible to deal with, because there was no way to get them out of one of those.

Had Ezra been in one of those, she would have had to get herself arrested and then work on an escape plan from the inside. And she knew all too well what her old master would have said about that; Cassie never would have heard the end of it. She hadn't like the idea of Cassie sneaking onto a _Star Destroyer_ , never mind an Imperial prison.

"Why don't you try and get some sleep?" Cassie suggested, not pursuing the subject. "I'll wake you in an hour. If you change your mind about food, let me know; I'll see if I can find something easy on your subject."

Ezra glanced briefly at her, then nodded once, laying his head down onto the bench as Cassie rose, moving to the emergency supplies; she had seen a blanket in there earlier.

Retrieving it, she made her way back to where he was lying, noting his electric blue eyes watching her movement, never once leaving her as she draped the blanket over his slender frame before heading back to the cockpit, retaking the pilot's seat.

"What's your name?" Cassie paused, looking back at Ezra, still watching her. "I know you said before, but I . . ."

"It's okay," she told him gently. "My name's Cassie Windchaser."

"Right . . ." He snuggled into the blanket. "Well, I . . . thanks."

"That's all right. You've got a concussion; that's bound to make you a little confused."

"No, I mean . . ." Ezra bit his lip, looking awkward. "Thanks . . . for coming to help me. I honestly didn't think anybody would."

Her gaze softened and she smiled at him. "Don't mention it, kid," she told him. "Go to sleep; I'll wake you in an hour."

His eyelids were already closing and he mumbled something indistinctive and then he was fast asleep.

* * *

Cassie managed to land the shuttle without being seen by any Imperial patrols—she hoped that the stolen shuttle wouldn't have been reported yet, but there was always the chances that they were more interested in catching insurgents that they were admitting that their crafts had been stolen—and headed for the outskirts, away from any prying eyes.

Before they even left hyperspace, however, Cassie left the pilot's seat, heading to where Ezra was sleeping and squatted down next to him, laying a gentle but firm hand on his shoulder, enough to wake him but not to jar him.

"Ezra? Hey, kid, wake up," she whispered and his eyelids fluttered and he groaned at her touch but otherwise just turned over on his side to go right back to sleep. "Hey, Ezra, come on, wake up . . ."

He groaned again but this time more out of annoyance than in sleep before his eyes opened fully, blinking at her before he rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"Hour's up already?" he grumbled.

"Not quite; it's only been about twenty or so minutes," she told him, "but we're coming up on Lothal and I thought you'd like to see your home planet."

This seemed to wake him up a little and he pushed himself into a sitting position, glancing quickly at her as she held out her hand to help him stand and he hesitated, but shook his head as he forced himself to stand on his own.

Inwardly, Cassie sighed but followed him as he stumbled to the copilot's seat; she kept behind him so she could catch him just in case he full, but he was determined to get there on his own. Only when he had made it into the chair did she take the pilot's seat, her hands curling around the controls and drawing back the lever for lightspeed as the light began to beep, signaling their approach to Lothal.

It had been _years_ since she had last been to this planet; the last time she had been here, she was younger and far more innocent.

"Good to be home?" she asked as his home planet swarmed before them.

Surprise filtered in his eyes but he gave a small, tentative nod. "Yeah, I . . . I've never been gone for so long before," he admitted, drawing up his knees to hug them as he regarded her uncertainly. "I've never even left the planet before."

"Never really had a home," Cassie murmured, more to herself than to Ezra as she navigated her way to the far side of the planet. She had never stayed anywhere long enough to call it home; the longest she'd ever been planetside was before her master found her, before the Jedi Purge, when she was still living with her parents on Coruscant.

Glancing over at her, Ezra looked like he wanted to say something but changed his mind, instead staring out the cockpit window and watching the sights of Lothal come in closer and closer, the blue skies finally opening up overhead as they made their descent, settling into the tall grass with ease.

No one was around, much to Cassie's relief; that meant that getting rid of the shuttle might go unnoticed.

Cassie helped Ezra climb out of the shuttle—well, attempted to, anyway, but he mostly resisted her—making sure that he was a safe distance away before going back and rigging the shuttle with explosives, grabbing the few emergency supplies that were left. She didn't know how long it was to the settlement and Ezra might need them.

Jogging back to where the kid was lying against the rock she'd left him up, Cassie though he might be asleep but he opened his eyes as soon as she neared.

"Hey, kid," she said, helping him to stand. They would have to put some distance between them as soon as the detonator went off. He staggered against her, a small flinch running through him, but she ignored it, offering the detonator. "Want to press the button?"

He blinked owlishly at her, staring down at the detonator in surprise before a grin tugged at the corner of his lips as he reached for it, pressing his finger against the button and Cassie's ears met the welcome explosion as fire erupted in front of them, sparks flying, and debris going everywhere.

"And _that_ , kid, is what a rebellion looks like," she said, clapping her hands together. "It all begins with a spark." Delight turned to seriousness almost at once as she surveyed him. "Come on, someone will have heard that and we don't want to be here when they show up to ask questions."

Signaling for him to follow her, Cassie led the way, putting as much distance between them and the explosion as possible.

Ezra managed to keep up with her, just barely; she kept a close eye on him in case he fell behind, but allowed him some space, to ease his mind. His skittish behavior worried her and Cassie was just as concerned about his state of mind as she was about the concussion and other injuries he had sustained whilst in Imperial custody.

She needed to find a doctor; she just hoped that, here in the outskirts, there would be one not in the Empire's pocket.

Of course, that was assuming that she could even find any settlements out here; she hadn't seen a single sign of life since she had landed. She could _sense_ life but she was starting to wonder if it was just wildlife she was sensing; she hadn't seen any signs of civilization.

The Lothal sun had descended into the horizon, plunging the planet into darkness, and there was still no sign of life—well, besides the few Loth-cats. She was starting to wonder just how far they were to any settlements.

"How far do you think it is to the nearest village?" Cassie squinted into the distance, hoping to see some life to no avail. She waited for an answer but there wasn't one. "Ezra?"

Turning to the kid, she rushed forward just in time to catch him as he swooned, catching him before he fell and gathering him up in her arms, resting her hand against his clammy forehead. He needed help, she thought anxiously as his eyelids fluttered, his head rolling against her shoulder; she needed to find him a doctor and fast.

Despairingly looking at the landscape around her, Cassie took a deep breath and stretched out with the Force, letting it ripple through her as she focused, concentrating on trying to sense any sign of a town or a village—even a city, she was at the point where she didn't care, as long as she found a doctor.

Her eyes snapped open and she turned her head; there was a settlement in that direction. This time, she was sure of it; she just hoped that she could make it before the kid got any worse.

And hopefully, there would be someone who could help.

Cassie scooped Ezra up into her arms; he immediately whimpered at the change of elevation, curling into her.

"I'm sorry, kid," she whispered, adjust her hold so she could carry him more easily, "but we've got to find you some help. I promise, you're gonna be okay."

And with that, she began the long trek to wherever it was that she sensed people, praying that there would be help waiting for her.

AN: Ta-da! And chapter two is now complete! And thank you to all the wonderful reviewers that contributed to the last chapter. I really do love reading what people think about my stories, so please, don't hesitate to press that review button to let me know. Chapter three is complete, so I will be posting that as soon as I get enough reviews, and I will be starting Chapter Four soon!

So please, review to keep me happy!

Lady Dawson


	3. Voices in the Shadows

**Always in Motion**

by Lady Dawson

Chapter Three: Voices in the Shadows

Waiting was the worst.

Because, really, there nothing that she could do except wait, staring across her at the doors leading into the medbay, hoping that they would open and she could find out what was happening on the other side, but at the same time knowing that it was good that it was taking so long because if it hadn't, then that meant there wasn't much that the doctor could do.

But even as she thought that, Cassie wanted to take that particular thought and throw it violently against the wall.

Patience had never been her strong suit; she had often charged headfirst into situations without thinking about the consequences, a trait that had both exasperated and amused her former master.

Right now, though, she would have gladly taken any patience that she had if it meant that she could stand waiting until those medbay doors opened. Every second that passed by felt as though an eternity had gone by and Cassie wouldn't have been at all surprised if she found grey streaks in her hair.

Standing up, she resumed pacing across the floor, as she had been doing on and off again for the past couple of hours, ever since she had barged into the doctor's office in the dead of night, with an unconscious boy in her arms.

Not that the Twi'lek doctor she had found had protested any; instead, she had taken one look at Ezra before ordering Cassie to take him into the medbay.

After placing him on the med-bed, Cassie had wanted to stay to help—try and do something, anything—but the doctor just shook her head in refusal. "You'll only be in the way," she said in an Imperial accent, originating from somewhere in the Core. "If you want to help your friend, then let us do our work."

And with that, the medical droid that accompanied her all but shoved Cassie out of the room, leaving her with nothing to do but wait endlessly, afraid of what news she might bring.

After Ezra had collapsed in that field, she had carried him at least five clicks until she found a small settlement; the first person that she found had directed her to the local doctor and thankfully, she had asked no questions. But that hadn't stopped Cassie from worrying about any and all Imperial patrols that might be coming through at any given moment. She hadn't been to Lothal in years; she couldn't remember what Imperial presence was like here and if they might patrol a settlement this far from the cities on a regular basis. It was entirely possible that news of an escapee from an Imperial Star Destroy hadn't reached here, but she had been sure that someone would have reported the shuttle being destroyed.

Much as she would like them to be, Imperials weren't entirely stupid; they could put two and two together.

Stopping dead in her tracks as the medbay doors slid open, it took everything that Cassie had not to go running straight at the Twi'lek as she stepped out of the medbay, looking utterly exhausted but she gave Cassie a reassuring smile.

"It's all right," she said, "everything went fine; the boy's going to be just fine."

Cassie sagged in relief, her legs suddenly feeling like jelly as she staggered into the nearest chair, sure that she wouldn't have been able to remain standing for very much longer.

"Thank you," she whispered, gratitude rolling off of her in waves. "Can I see him?"

"You're welcome to sit in with him if you like, but he's currently in a bacta tank; he won't know that you're there," the Twi'lek told her, but that didn't matter to Cassie. Poor kid had already been through enough; she wasn't going to let him stay in there alone.

Besides, with what she had sensed from the kid and what she suspected about him, she had every amount of certainty that he _would_ sense her there.

"Thanks," she said, stumbling to her feet and beginning to make her way into the medbay when the Twi'lek stopped her.

"You'd best keep your guard up while you're here," she said warningly. Cassie paused halfway through the door, looking back at her. "I've seen a lot of things in my time as a doctor and some things that I wished that I hadn't." She met the blonde's gaze evenly. "I know where he got those injuries; I've seen it before. And I have no problem with keeping quiet, but that doesn't mean that they won't be asking questions if they notice anything."

Cassie nodded. "I'll keep that in mind." She paused. "Um . . . I have some credits . . . it's not much, but—"

"Don't worry about it," the Twi'lek said firmly, leaving no room for argument. "Your brother has suffered enough; you don't need to pay any more."

She blinked. "Oh, he's not—"

"Yes, he is, because that's what I'm going to tell anyone who asks; that your brother had a speeder accident and you didn't have the credits, so you brought him out here to the outskirts, where we don't ask as many questions and don't charge as much as they do in the Imperial centers," the Twi'lek said dryly. "You'd best stick to that story, child. Now, go and sit with the boy."

Though she wanted to argue, to try and give her what few credits she had left, Cassie reluctantly pocketed them, suspecting that she wouldn't accept anything that she tried to give her, so she thanked her again before going into the medbay.

As she had been told, Ezra was floating in the bacta tank, his eyes fluttered closed and the breath mask over his nose and mouth so that he would be able to breath while the bacta did its work to heal what injuries the doctor hadn't been able to. He was still unconscious but as she stretched out, touching his mind through the Force, she felt his consciousness react, recognizing her but he didn't wake.

"Don't worry, kid," she said softly as she settled down into a chair next to the tank, not about to leave him alone, "you're gonna be okay. Everything's going to be okay; just rest."

Somehow, it was all gonna be okay.

* * *

Ezra was floating.

Or at least, that's what it felt like; he could feel himself drifting through an endless sea as he faded in and out. Often times, he could hear female voices but they were garbled and he couldn't make sense of them. But he could feel a presence nearby that was vaguely familiar; he wanted to grab it but weariness ran through him.

 _"Don't worry, kid; you're going to be okay."_

He listened to the voice; hers seemed to come and go. Sometimes, he could hear it with perfect clarity while other times, it was just as garbled and distorted as the other woman's. Much as he tried to listen, he couldn't grasp the surface.

 _"Everything is going to be okay; just rest."_

That sounded like a great idea; Ezra allowed himself to be swallowed up by the blackness and fall into a dreamless slumber.

When consciousness drew near next, he was vaguely aware of being moved and the same voices whispering around him again. He fought to hear them but only managed about half of what they were saying.

". . . sure he shouldn't stay in the tank longer?" This woman's voice was young, more a girl than a woman. "He's still . . ."

". . . better this way . . . done about . . . bacta treatment can . . . so much . . ." The second voice was accented and older; he felt slight fear run through him at the accent but didn't understand why.

What had happened? Why was he lying here and why did everything feel like it was far away? Ezra felt as though he were at the bottom of a lake and everything else was right above him, at the surface.

"When . . . wake up?"

". . . up to him. Better to . . . rest . . . needs it . . ."

Ezra felt his entire body seize up as he felt contact on his right arm, but it was soft and gentle, almost reassuring, and almost as soon as it came, the anxiety faded away to nothingness as he grasped at the hand.

"Guess . . . right . . ." The girl sounded almost apologetic, ". . . through enough already. Take . . . much time . . . need . . . be right here, Ezra."

She knew his name, he thought dimly. How did she know his name?

But he didn't have time to wonder about that for long; he sank back down into the pool and faded away again.

* * *

Ezra woke but did not stir; actually, he wasn't entirely sure that he was even awake. He felt more like he was dreaming because for the first time since he had been on the Destroyer, there was no pain.

More than there was no pain; his side hurt a lot less than it had before and his head stopped feeling as though it were spinning.

Debating whether or not the bucketheads had actually bothered to patch him up just so they could torture him again, Ezra chanced opening his eyes, immediately wincing as the lights struck them. How long had he been out? he wondered as he forced them open again and slowly, they adjusted, revealing a homey cream colored room.

Not stark white like the Imperial medical bay, he realized almost at once; no, this couldn't be the Star Destroyer's medbay. Where was he?

Suddenly, he realized that he wasn't as alone as he first thought and turned his head to look at the slight figure next to him. She was curled up in a chair, a blanket wrapped around her as her blonde hair fell into her face; she was asleep.

Ezra stared at her, memories suddenly sweeping over him.

So . . . that hadn't been a dream after all.

Cassie had rescued him from the depths of an Imperial Starship—but more than that, she had stayed by his side the entire time. From the looks of things, she had even been sleeping here—wherever _here_ was, anyway.

He remembered them landing on Lothal and blowing up the shuttle, but that was about as far as he could remember. What happened after that and how they had gotten here, he couldn't recall.

Where were they? Were they still on Lothal? Were they on Cassie's ship, like she said that they were going? No . . . she had said something about Naboo, hadn't she? Ezra couldn't put it together; it was all jumped together in his head.

Hearing the medbay door swish open, Ezra slammed his eyes shut, almost afraid of what was coming in, and he heard soft footsteps approach the bed.

Not daring to move a muscle, he listened closely for anything that might give away what the person was doing, but heard nothing.

With infinite cautiousness, he chanced a quick glance, only to see a blue Twi'lek with her back to him near the machines, inspecting them closely and he slammed his eyes shut again when she turned back to look at him. He kept his breathing as even as he could, listening closely as the Twi'lek began moving again, not daring to open his eyes again; he couldn't hear what she was doing, but he distinctively heard Cassie as she mumbled, "Whatzgoinon?"

Whatever the Twi'lek said, he wasn't sure, but his heart quickened at the Imperial accent that it carried and tried to contain the fear that ran through him until he heard the medbay doors swish open again and knew that she was gone.

"Ezra?"

His eyes fluttered open again and he turned his head slightly to look over at Cassie, who was regarding him with concerned ice-blue eyes.

"Hey . . ." she whispered, relief flooding through her features at seeing him awake. "It's good to see you awake."

"C—Cassie?" he croaked, surprised at just how much effort it took just to say her name. His mouth felt weird, like he hadn't had anything to eat or drink in at least a couple of days, and hadn't said anything in just as long, but maybe that was normal from waking up in a medbay. It wasn't like he had been in one in—well, in a long time.

She looked relieved that he remembered her name; like he was liable to forget who had gotten him out of that hellhole. Ezra still didn't think that she didn't have an ulterior motive but whatever it was, she had got him out of there and for that, he was grateful.

"Glad that your memory's intact," she said softly, disentangling herself from the blanket so she could move over to sit down on the bed. He tensed at the closeness but thankfully, she kept her distance. "You've had a fever from some of the infections; you've been in and out of consciousness for almost a week."

That woke him up a little. "A _week_?" he echoed, flinching at the pain it took to talk. Was it going to be like this forever?

Almost as though she knew what he was thinking, Cassie stood up and moved over to pick up a cup of water and returned, lifting it to his lips.

Though he eyes her suspiciously, Ezra drank the water greedily, not stopping until the cup was empty and even then, he still felt parched, so she fetched him another cup, helping him to sip the second one. He drank about five cups before he finally felt like he had enough.

"Where are we?" he finally asked. His voice still sounded hoarse but at least he didn't feel like it took everything he had just to ask a simple word.

"Still on Lothal," she told him. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"I remember landing on Lothal and blowing up the shuttle," Ezra told her. "What happened after that?"

"Not much; we were walking through the fields, trying to find a village when you collapsed. I carried you the rest of the way here," she explained. "Luckily, I found a village fairly close and the doctor here didn't ask many questions."

Embarrassment ran through him at the thought of passing out and Cassie having to carry him all the way here, but before he could try and apologize, she asked, "Are you in any pain? How's your head?"

"It's okay."

Cassie gave him a searching look, not believing him, but as she opened her mouth to counter his denial, the beep of a communicator came from somewhere and she looked down at her side briefly, almost in debate, but then she sighed, reaching for it and brought the device up to her mouth.

"This is Rogue One."

* * *

AN: Oh, yeah, I just went there. LOL.

Guys, I am so sorry about the long update. I'm not sure what was going on with this website, but it wouldn't let me upload my chapter onto the doc manager. Not sure what the problem was, but I finally got it to work. Did anybody else have that problem? Just curious. Anyway, it's fixed now, I guess, and Chapter Four is waiting to be posted, as soon as I get enough reviews. Hope you enjoyed and please tell me what you think in that review!

Lady Dawson


	4. Worth Fighting For

**Always in Motion**

by Lady Dawson

Chapter Four: Worth Fighting For

 _"Rogue One, this is Fulcrum."_

Ezra frowned at the unfamiliar voice filtering through the communicator; it sounded modified, like it was being transmitted through something to disguise the person's voice. He couldn't even tell if they were male or female, through the filter, but he saw the relief that flashed through Cassie's eyes at the voice.

"Fulcrum, good to hear from you," she said, adjusting her position on the bed and giving Ezra a reassuring smile. "I tried contacting you but you must've been on one of your missions. Did I miss anything?"

 _"Just some relief missions to some refugees in the Naboo system,"_ Fulcrum, whoever he or she was, responded. _"And it went down without a hitch, which may or may not have something to do with_ _you not being there."_

Even through the filter, Ezra could hear the rib directed at Cassie, who grinned slightly, ice-blue eyes filled with mirth.

 _"How'd things go on your end?"_

All mirth was immediately gone from Cassie's eyes and glanced sideways at Ezra, electric and ice blue eyes clashing.

"Everything went fine," she said into the comm. "Yeah, there weren't any problems—oh, except I may have had to steal an Imperial shuttle to escape."

 _"I hardly think_ that's _a problem; you blew it up, right?"_

"Of course," Cassie said with a huff, looking slightly insulted that Fulcrum would even ask that. "What do you take me for?"

Fulcrum made a noise between amusement and exasperation. _"And what about the boy? Did you manage to get him out?"_

"Yeah," Cassie said, "yeah, I got him out. We're out a small clinic right now, but we should be leaving soon. Are you still planning on meeting us where we discussed?"

Ezra frowned at the mysteriousness but realized that they were probably being cryptic on purpose, just in case anybody was listening. He might only have been seven when the Empire took his parents away, but he still remembered how cryptic they could be, especially when doing their broadcasts or whenever they were discussing things were Tseebo or someone else who knew what they were doing.

 _"I'm afraid not,"_ Fulcrum said, deep regret evident. _"I have some contacts that I need to get in touch with; you probably won't see me as much, Rogue One, but I'll keep in touch."_ After a pause, they continued, _"How's the boy?"_

Cassie glanced at Ezra, who suddenly was very interested in the fingernails on his right hand. "I think he's going to be okay. I'm gonna make sure of it," she added.

Ezra looked up at her, startled by the declaration. She gave him a small smile, reaching out to grasp his arm reassuringly; he immediately tensed but the fear that had crippling him every time someone got near didn't rise through him, surprising even him.

 _"Well, I'm sure with you looking after him, he'll be more than okay,"_ Fulcrum replied. _"I'll contact you when I can, but stay safe, alright? Your dad would never forgive me if you got killed on my watch."_

Something flashed behind her eyes, but all Cassie said, "I won't, I promise; I'll contact you when we get to the rendezvous."

 _"I look forward to hearing from you. Fulcrum out."_

"Rogue One out."

Barely waiting for her to press the button on the communicator, Ezra blurted out, "Who was that?"

"Friend of mine," Cassie replied, returning the communicator to her belt. "That's about all I can tell you, sorry . . ." Ezra made a face. "And don't think that distracting me is going to get you out of it."

"Out of what?" he asked innocently.

Cassie heaved a sigh, giving him a pointed look. "How's your head? And the truth this time," she added warningly.

He opened his mouth, about to tell her that he was fine and she didn't need to worry—though why she was bothering, he didn't know—but he caught her eyes, seeing the resolved look in them, and it dawned on him that if he kept fighting her, she might give it as good as she got.

Shoulders sagging in defeat, he mumbled, "It still hurts, but it's kind of like a dull headache. Nothing I can't handle."

"Well, you hit your head pretty good; I'd be more concerned if it _wasn't_ hurting," Cassie said, frowning at his last sentence. "Your concussion was worse than I thought it was; you spent five days in the bacta tank before we took you out and even then you were still in and out of consciousness. But Dr. Aakib'japi has been keeping an eye on things and everything's looking pretty good. As long as you take it easy and rest, you should be getting out of here in a day or two. Maybe tomorrow, if you're good," she added dryly, "but somehow, I get the impression being good isn't your strong suit."

He glared at her. "You don't know me."

"No," she agreed lightly, "but I know me and I think you and I are cut from the same kind of cloth, if you know what I mean." Her ice-blue eyes were dancing with laughter as the corners of her mouth turned upwards, like she was fighting a smile. "I'd be surprised if you weren't planning on an escape attempt right now."

Truthfully, Ezra hadn't; he didn't have the energy to so much as try and sit up, let alone come up with an escape attempt. But that didn't mean he liked being here; other than the few trips to the infirmary on the Destroyer he'd taken, he hadn't been to a clinic like this since . . . well, probably since his parents were taken.

"Kid," Cassie said gently, "I know it's no fun being stuck in a medbay, but we need to make sure you're going to be okay. I promise, as soon as Dr. Aakib'japi gives the all clear, I'll get you out of here." Ezra nodded silently, but was having a hard time concentrating on what she was saying, something she must have noticed, because she said, "But you should probably get some sleep."

"I just woke up," Ezra mumbled as some form of protest, but it was mostly just a front. He really was exhausted.

"You just woke up from a _coma_ ," Cassie corrected, stressing the word. "And a coma isn't as good for you as actual sleep. Just go to sleep, Ez. When you wake up, I'll get you something to eat; we're gonna need to get you back on solid foods before the doc's gonna even think about releasing you. And . . . well, we'll talk about everything else later."

Ezra wanted to argue—even though he knew she was right—but ultimately, he was too tired to even try to fight her, because he reluctantly let his drooping eyes flutter close, but opened them back up when he felt her climb off the bed, seeing her adjusting the blankets, drawing them over him.

"You're not going anywhere, right?"

She didn't laugh at him, but her mouth curved upwards into a bright smile. "Don't worry, kid," she reassured him. "I won't be going anywhere. You're stuck with me."

And Ezra realized, he didn't mind that so much.

"Good," he mumbled as he curled into the blankets, relaxing against her hand resting on his forehead. "That's good . . ."

And before he was really aware that he was drifting off, he was fast asleep.

* * *

As promised, when next he woke, Cassie was waiting for him was a hot bowl of Lothal stew, which he hadn't had in years but the mere scent of it brought back warm memories that he had nearly forgotten about.

Ignoring the dull throbbing in his head, Ezra pushed himself into a sitting position so that he could dig into the stew, shoveling it into his mouth.

"Slowly," Cassie advised him, though she was grinning. "You don't want to eat too fast; you might make yourself sick."

Ezra hadn't considered that; after all, he hadn't eaten much during his . . . however long it had been imprisonment and then add on a week in a coma and it was a wonder that he wasn't starving. Swallowing much more slowly than he had been, he continued to eat at a quicker pace, but still more gradual than he was.

Dr. Aakib'japi came in while he was eating and he swallowed, looking up at the blue Twi'lek as she approached him, a smile in place.

"Good evening, Ezra," she greeted, her blue eyes kind but the Imperial accent sent a wave of uneasiness through him. "It's good to see you awake; you've been asleep every time that I've come in." But her eyes twinkled, suggesting that she knew he had been awake when she'd come in before. "Are you in any pain? Blurry vision, headache?"

Briefly, Ezra considered not answering her and just going with his usual 'I'm fine' answer, but almost as soon as that thought crossed his mind, Cassie cleared her throat and he looked over at her, immediately spotting the pointed look she fixed him with, and decided that it really wasn't worth it.

"A little headache, but not bad," he said quietly, wishing that she would just leave it alone.

The Twi'lek hummed expectedly. "Where's it originating from? Right here?" she asked, pointing at a particular place. "Well, that's where you had the concussion, so it's going to be hurting for a little while. I can give you some bacta for the pain, but it should start fading in a day or so. Anything else hurt? How about your ribs?"

"No, they're okay."

Nodding once, Dr. Aakib'japi said, "Well, all things considered, you seem like you're doing well enough that I think we can let you out of here a little bit early; how does that sound?"

Honestly, it sounded great to Ezra; the last thing that he wanted was to be stuck in this place for an indefinite amount of time. It felt too much like a prison and he'd had enough of prisons to last him a lifetime.

Cassie, on the other hand, frowned at the Twi'lek. "Do you think that's a good idea?" she asked slowly. "He barely woke up twenty-four hours ago; shouldn't you keep him for observation or something?"

Dr. Aakib'japi hesitated, then glanced between them. "What do you know about a shuttle explosion that happened last week?"

Ezra stiffened, glancing quickly over at Cassie, whose expression was suddenly a mask.

Nodding once as though she had expected this, Dr. Aakib'japi said flatly, "The stormtroopers had been upping their patrols in the area, looking for anyone suspicious and asking if anyone saw anything. You need to get out of here before someone remembers seeing you the night of the explosion. I had a speeder in the back; take it and get out of here while you still can. I can't keep them from finding you forever," she added, "and it's better for both of us is you're not here when they start searching the clinics."

Her mouth hardened but Cassie nodded. "I understand," she said quietly. Ezra looked at her, surprised. "Believe me, I know how hard Imperials are making it; you've done enough without being found harboring fugitives."

"You'd best leaving after dusk," Dr. Aakib'japi told her. "It'll be harder for anyone to spot you then." She made to leave. "I'll get you some oral bacta and some medical supplies, just in case you need it."

As soon as the bay doors closed, Cassie heaved a sigh. "Well, so much for keeping things under wraps. Guess I should have known that we wouldn't be able to hide out here forever," she said dryly.

"So, I guess this is the part where you're gonna ditch me, right?" Ezra said quietly, looking away from her. She was probably already thinking about it; she'd done her good dead already, so her next move was undoubtedly sticking him wherever she could and taking off before he had a chance to blink.

Cassie frowned at him. "Not a chance," she countered to his surprise. "The Empire's going to be looking for you now, kid. They're especially going to be looking for you _here_ , since it's your home planet. It's not safe for you here."

Ezra folded his arms over his chest. "So then, what are you planning on doing with me?" he wanted to know, not at all sure what she was planning.

Standing up, Cassie moved to a satchel that he hadn't noticed, pulling out some clean clothes that looked like they might be his size. "I got these for you a few days ago; figured you wouldn't want to wear those Imperial prison uniforms," she replied, not answering his question. "If they don't fit, then we'll get you some new ones, but they should do well enough for now."

Staring at them, Ezra eyed her. "What exactly is this? Trying to butter me up before dropping the bomb on me that you're ditching me?"

Exasperatedly, Cassie said, "Kid, I'm not planning on ditching you anywhere. True, there are places that you might be safe from the Empire; I could easily find someone that would be willing to take you in, even with the risk. But the truth is, the safest place that you'd be is on the move. And I never stop moving," she added lightly.

Ezra didn't move; he'd heard her, but he didn't fully comprehend what it was that she was saying. Surely she didn't mean what he _thought_ she was saying, but why would she. . .?

"I . . . I don't understand."

"I'm saying that we get off Lothal, both of us," she said gently, "and we go get my ship on Naboo and we just keep flying."

Disbelief rippled through him and he openly gaped at her, not exactly sure what he wanted to say, but apparently, his mind and his mouth weren't agreeing, because his mouth opened and he blurted out, "Why?"

Cassie raised an eyebrow. "Why, what?"

"Why would you want to take me in?" he demanded, curling up into himself. "You said it yourself; I'm a risk. If the Empire's gonna be hunting me, like you're so sure that they are, then why take the risk at all?"

"Because," she said seriously, "some people are worth fighting for."

Years of abandonment, loneliness, and depending on no one but himself crashed down onto him, mixed in with everything that had happened whilst in Imperial custody, and he shook his head in denial.

"No, it's not," he croaked.

"What's not?"

"It's not worth it," he replied, not meeting her eyes but he sensed anger rising through her and, before he could stop himself, he looked up, immediately seeing the anger that he had sensed flashing through her ice-blue eyes. But that anger, he realized, was not directed at _him_.

"Ezra," she said gently and sat down on the bed. Instinctively, he moved back and she sighed deeply, obviously disappointed, but didn't comment on it. Instead, she just looked at him and said, "Listen to me. I can't imagine what you've gone through—not just the Imperial prison, but also all those years alone. And I know you're not going to believe me, but you are worth it. You didn't deserve what happened to you and I'm going to keep telling you that, every day, until you trust me enough to believe it."

"I . . ." Ezra swallowed, looking away. "The last people that I trusted left me in that place . . . they never even looked back."

Another flash of anger sparked through her glittering eyes, but once again, it wasn't directed at him.

"It's their loss," she said calmly. "If they walked out on you, Ezra, then it's their loss. I mean it," she said sternly when he looked down at his hands. "Look, you don't have to make a decision right now; why don't you just come with me for a little while and you can decide if you want to stay? And if not, then . . ." She took a deep breath, "well, then I can find someplace that would be safe, somewhere the Empire can't find you."

He swallowed, forcing himself to look at her earnest eyes. And he realized that while he might not trust her yet, he did believe her.

"Okay," he agreed.

* * *

AN: Hey, guys! Hope you're enjoying the story so far. Also, to the guest who asked about Ezra getting angry when he meets the Ghost crew again, don't worry, I already have that worked into my plans. Believe me, can't wait to write that chapter.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed and please review!

Lady Dawson


	5. Flying Solo

**Always in Motion**

by Lady Dawson

Chapter Five: Flying Solo

Leaning against the doorframe of the Imperial Communication Tower that had long since been abandoned, Cassie surveyed the place that had served as Ezra's home for the better part of eight years.

All it took was one look to see just how lonely his life had been; from the looks of things, no one besides him had set foot in this place for quite some time. Cassie herself might have had an unusual childhood, but at least she'd always had Ahsoka; the Togruta had never once let her feel as though she were alone and it both pained and angered her that no one bothered to do the same for Ezra.

On the streets from seven . . . that was beyond harsh, but what surprised Cassie the most was that, despite his upbringing, he still managed to have such a kind soul. She had noticed that, when he asked her what would happen to the Twi'lek doctor, if the "bucketheads" ever found out they were there.

"That's why we're leaving now," Cassie told him, "before anyone starts poking around, asking question that we don't want them to. Anyway, I left my comm. number for her, just in case something happens."

Ezra looked surprised but nodded, relief flashing through his electric blue eyes as he clambered onto the speeder behind her.

Originally, she was going to head straight for the spaceport but when he asked if they could swing by his place to grab some things, she couldn't say no.

But seeing the tower and seeing what his life had been like . . . it very nearly made Cassie curse the Force for not showing her something sooner, for not giving her the vision until Ezra had been captured by Imperials. Why _now_ , after all this time, after he had spent so many years alone? Why hadn't it shown her something before now? So much time . . . she could have done something long before now . . .

Even as the thoughts floated through her head, an old saying popped into her head; she didn't know where it was from but it seemed apropos.

 _When the student is ready, the master will appear._

Well, Cassie considered, perhaps the opposite was true as well; maybe it wasn't just Ezra being in trouble that was the reason the Force had guided her to him . . . maybe _she_ needed to be ready . . .

Maybe they both needed to be.

Pushing herself off the doorframe and stepped fully into the tower for the first time since they arrived, Cassie brushed her hand against a dusty Imperial helmet, amusement rippling through her; there were quite a few, she noticed, glancing over at the kid that was shoving stuff into an old backpack.

"You've got quite a collection here."

"Huh? Oh . . . those," he said, shrugging as he saw what she was referring to. "Yeah, I usually take them when the bucketheads get distracted—while I'm stealing some of their tech," he added sheepishly, looking away but Cassie was having a hard time keeping a straight face.

"I see . . ."

Automatically, he got defensive. "Hey, do you know how much some of that stuff is _worth_ on the black market?"

"Actually, yeah, I do; I've sold a lot of stuff there when I was desperate for credits."

Surprise appeared in his eyes again before he looked back down at what looked like spare droid parts, fiddling with them absently.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"You just did," she teased, "but you can ask another one."

He managed a small grin but looked up at her seriously. "How did you know where to find me?" he wanted to know. "I mean . . . you said that you broke into that Star Destroyer so you could find _me_ ; you weren't there for anything or anyone else. So . . . I mean, how did you even know that I was there—or even that I was in trouble?"

Cassie sighed; she should have expected this question sooner or later—though she had hoped it would be 'later'. But now that he had asked it, she wasn't going to lie to him or even withhold the truth.

"It's complicated," she admitted, moving to sit down next to him, stretching her legs out while he was fiddling with the spare parts. He scowled at her, but she held her hand up, stopping him from retorting. "Let me ask you something first . . . have you ever done anything that you really couldn't explain . . . sensed something before it actually happened or known about something that maybe you wouldn't have known about? Or maybe your reflexes have always been quicker than others?"

Ezra blinked at her, his eyes growing wide with awareness, and he seemed to shrink into himself as he nodded once.

"Maybe . . ."

Allowing him to leave it at that, Cassie explained to him, "Well, I'm the same way; some of the things that I can do, most people would be oblivious to; they don't sense the same things that I do or know without really knowing how they know the same things I do. Part of what I can do is see things before they happen. They can come to me in dreams; sometimes the images are blurry and unclear and other times, they are as sharp as a melee blade. That's how I knew that you were in trouble," she continued, images flooding her mind, of the vision that had brought her to this boy. "I saw you in my dreams, of you being on a Star Destroyer with some others . . . a human male, a Mandalorian, and a Lasat?"

Speechless, Ezra nodded unblinkingly.

"All I could see was all of you running; I couldn't see what you were running through, but you were definitely running from _something_. And then you were grabbed by someone—I believe his name was Agent Kallus? Next thing I saw, the others just left and you were left behind." She took a deep breath, watching him. "All of that actually happened?"

Ezra swallowed, nodding once. "Yeah . . . I should have known better than to trust them; everybody's out for themselves."

Cassie sighed. "Not everyone. Not always."

He just shrugged as he carried on with packing what little belongings he had before standing up, walking back onto the balcony to stare out across Lothal. Cassie followed him, joining him on the balcony as she watched the sun slowly rising into the sky, turning it to a multitude of colors.

"Thanks for saving me," Ezra said after a long moment. She glanced at him. "I know I said it before, but . . . thanks."

"You're welcome," she told him, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "You're sure that's everything you need? I don't know if or when we can come back."

Ezra opened his mouth, then paused, as though thinking of something and dashed back into the tower, returning only a minute later with what looked like a passkey in his hand, shoving it into his backpack. She wasn't sure what it was but nor did she ask; he would tell her, in his own time, when he was ready.

Rejoining her on the balcony, Ezra stared across Lothal as though he were trying to capture it in his memory. The sight pained Cassie and she hated that she was having to take him away from the only home that he knew, but at the same time, she would never forgive herself if she left him here and something happened to him.

"How'd you know this is where I was from?" Ezra asked suddenly and she glanced at him, confused. "When we landed here . . . you woke me up, figuring that I'd want to see Lothal after being away for so long . . . how'd you know I was from Lothal?"

Cassie chuckled. "Because it was the first place that you thought of when we were escaping that Destroyer," she answered simply. "There's only one reason that you would think of it offhand—because that's your home."

He opened his mouth, and then shut it just as quickly as he folded his arms across the balcony, laying his head on them as he watched the sunrise, committing it to memory. She didn't really blame him though; she might not have had a home in the traditional sense, but she did know what it was like to have to leave everything that she'd known behind to face an uncertain future.

"Won't the bucketheads figure that out too?"

"What's that?" she asked, frowning at his question.

"If you figured out that I was from here just because of the planet I chose, then won't the bucketheads figure out that we're here because they know that I'm from here?"

Cassie blinked, startled; she hadn't considered that. But he was right, she thought in utter realization, they might have figured out that they were here, especially after that shuttle explosion. Aakib'japi had pretty much said that they were looking for anyone suspicious and if they put together that the shuttle was the same one that they had used to escape on, then they might be looking for their faces; they might know exactly who they were looking for.

"You're right," she breathed, feeling stupid for not having realized this sooner. "We can't use the Imperial transport; they might have our names . . . faces . . . they could very well have our faces plastered on wanted posters all through the sector." She groaned, wanting to bash her lightsaber through a wall.

Looking worried, Ezra asked, "Then how are we gonna get off Lothal?"

It was a very good question but the answer was obvious; they couldn't use Imperial transport, so they would just have to smuggle themselves off. And wasn't it lucky, she thought with a grin, that she knew a pair of smugglers that would be all too happy to do the job—for a price, of course.

"I know _exactly_ how we're gonna get off," she said, ice-blue eyes gleaming.

* * *

The speeder slowed down to a stop at the predetermined coordinates, which was right smack in the middle of nowhere, in the vast plains of Lothal. Ezra looked around as he slid off the bike, but there was nothing and no one in sight.

Which, he considered, might have been why Cassie had picked these coordinates.

Casting a quick glance around as though to reassure herself that no one had followed them, Cassie climbed off the speeder bike after him, slinging the bag she'd been carrying since they'd left that Twi'lek doctor onto her shoulder as she scanned the sky intently for any sign of the ship that her friend was coming to pick them up in.

Or so Ezra assumed; her friend was a Wookiee, so he hadn't understood much of what was being said through the howling and growling, but Cassie apparently was fluent enough that she could understand what he was saying. Whoever this friend was, she'd had to bribe him in order to come pick them up.

Not this really surprised Ezra; nobody did anything for Free. Except for Cassie, maybe, he reconsidered that particular thought. She did things that he hadn't expected—like offering to take him in, for one.

Truth be told, he was half-expecting her to back out of her offer but something made him think that she wasn't going to. He'd already asked her, once, whether she was sure about this or not, taking in some street kid that was hunted by the Empire, just to see what she would say.

Instead of being insulted about her charity or deciding to take back her offer, Cassie had just chuckled good-naturedly.

"I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't sure," she had told him. "Besides, once the Empire figures out about me, they wouldn't mind sticking me in the highest maximum security prison that they've got, so being hunted by the Empire really isn't out of my way."

Not for the first time, Ezra was starting to wonder just who this girl was; she was the most peculiar person that he had ever met, holding her head high like she was royalty yet wanting to keep off of the radar at the same time. And then there was that laser-sword that she had, he thought, eyeing it now; it was peeking out from underneath her jacket, just out of sight. It looked almost like the one that Kanan had, except that the design was different.

And the only people that had laser-swords were—

"There he is."

Startled, Ezra looked skyward to see a rugged ship descending overhead. He shielded his eyes from the sun in an attempt to see it better, but the closer that it got, the more he realized that his impression of it wasn't gonna get much better.

Incredulously, he stared at the old Corellian-class ship that was landing in front of them, looking as though it had seen better days—or years.

" _That's_ how we're getting out of here?! It's a piece of _junk_!"

Giggling, Cassie clamped a hand over her mouth, but her ice-blue eyes sparkled with mirth. "I thought the same thing the first time I saw her too," she admitted, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, "but she can make it .5 past lightspeed, kid." Ezra looked disbelieving at the ship. "Trust me, she'll get us to where we need to go. But don't let the captain hear you trash-talk his ship; he's proud of it."

"Has he _seen_ it?"

"And put her back together more times than I care to count," Cassie answered dryly. "Trust me, nothing makes him angrier than hearing someone talk bad about his baby."

Shaking his head in amazement, Ezra followed her to the ship—if it could even be called that—as the ramp began to lower and a guy walked out. Human, a few years older than Cassie, with dark brown hair and dark brown eyes; behind him was a Wookiee, probably the one she'd spoken to on the comm. earlier.

"So Windchaser . . . you finally give up on that sorry-ass ship of yours and come join up with Chewie and me?"

Ezra looked quickly at Cassie, but she was having a hard time pretending to be annoyed as she folded her arms over her chest, shooting an exasperated glare at him.

"Not even if you paid me, Solo," she drawled, "and I'd keep the 'sorry-ass' comments to yourself, because the _Falcon_ isn't much better. At least the _Knight_ 's got style."

Solo, as he had been dubbed, only smirked. "Yeah, but the _Falcon_ 's got it where it counts. Anyway, Chewie said you needed a ride to Naboo."

"Yeah, long story."

He just snorted. "When are there any _short_ stories with you?" he pointed out. "So, who's the kid?"

"Jabba the Hutt," Ezra responded, but obeyed Cassie as she beckoned him closer, keeping closer to her as she placed a hand on his shoulder as though to reassure him.

Grinning, Solo looked at the Wookiee.

"You hear that, Chewie? Looks like Jabba finally caught up with us," he said, grinning wildly at Ezra. "So, Jabba . . . I know that I owe you for that last shipment, but since I'd done such great smuggling jobs for you over the years, I don't suppose you could . . . you know, forget about that little minor incident where I had to dump your cargo?"

Cassie shook her head in exasperation but Ezra actually grinned.

"Yeah, I think that I can do that," he agreed, "so long as you stay as far away from my smuggling jobs as possible from now on."

Solo pointed at Chewie. "You heard it, pal," he said excitedly, "Jabba himself has generously agreed to forget our payment in exchange for never going near him again. I think this has worked out to our benefit, don't you?"

"Oh, in that case, you can forget about the eight that Chewie and I agreed to for passage to Naboo," Cassie said dryly, looking amused but Solo looked as though she had gone completely insane.

"Eight . . . only eight?" he complained, looking accusingly at Chewie. "Pal, what are you, trying to put us in the poorhouse? Or is it eight each?" he asked hopefully.

"No, just eight," Cassie said, "I was shooting for seven, but Chewie promised to tell you that you're an insufferable, scruff-looking nerf-herder to sweeten the deal and I caved."

Solo scowled at his partner, who just shrugged and growled.

"Anyway, Ezra, this is Han Solo and Chewbacca," she introduced, "gentlemen, this is Ezra Bridger. Shall we get this show on the road?"

Sighing, Solo gestured towards the ramp gloomily. "All aboard."

"Oh," Cassie added as they boarded, "and if we could avoid any Imperials, that'd be fantastic."

Solo just groaned.

* * *

AN: Hey, guys, sorry for the long update, but I was kinda disappointed by the lack of reviews for the last chapters. Only one, so sad . . . Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and please, please tell me in a review, I always love hearing what you guys have to say. I also hope you enjoyed seeing Han Solo; this was kind of my first time writing him, so let me know how I did. May the Force be with you.

Lady Dawson


End file.
